These diseases pose enormous challenges both for individuals and societies in terms of life quality and economic burden, thereby necessitating an urgent need for aging societies to address these health concerns.

To date, research efforts have concentrated on investigating the pathophysiology of singular diseases. However, the remarkable recent discovery that mutations in single genes can extend healthy lifespan implies that they can also reduce the impact of a broad spectrum of aging-related damage and pathology. Thus, this discovery has profound implications for aging research and could revolutionize approaches for prevention and treatment of aging-associated diseases.

To be able to effectively treat diseases, there must first be a thorough understanding of the mechanisms underlying them.